


Fated Clash

by Shadowcatgirl09



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonkai, Bonnie practices Obeah instead of european witchcraft, F/M, Slight childhood!Bonkai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 01:44:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17778239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcatgirl09/pseuds/Shadowcatgirl09
Summary: Set during 2x21. On the eve of Klaus' hybrid transformation, Bonnie and her comrades are interrupted by an unexpected guest.





	Fated Clash

**Author's Note:**

> My spanish is abysmal but to be fair I used three different translators so please bear with me

When the mysterious Meredith Sulez transferred to their school, to her class specifically, Bonnie knew there was going to be trouble. The aloof girl didn't really bother talking with people unless she had to. What unnerved Bonnie the most was when she'd pop up unexpectedly around areas with vampire activity. You'd think that killings would scare her off but no, she arrived every time with flute case in hand and calculating eyes taking in the scene before her. Bonnie had worked with her a few times on some school projects, she was efficient and very resourceful.

There was a commotion outside the cottage. Damon stood alert near the door while Kai and Jeremy stepped in front of Bonnie. Elijah's voice could be heard along with a female voice.

"I can't let you in here miss."

"Move aside vampire." There's a shing noise and a thump against the door. "Do you know what this is?"

"How do you have one of those?" Elijah did not sound pleased.

"I'm resourceful. Now I don't know how you factor into their plans but I won't hesitate to stab you with this."

"You don't want to be here, go on home." He was trying to compel the female.

A few moments pass and Elijah mutters a what the hell. There's another scuffling noise and then the doors burst open revealing Meredith followed by Elijah. She was dressed like she came out of a tv show where everyone has impossibly cool outfits.

"I'm sorry, she seems to be immune to compulsion." He looked exasperated.

The corner of Meredith's mouth quirked up. "A witch that lets vampires on to sacred grounds. Your ancestors must be proud."

"I'm an Obeah practitioner, not a witch. And my ancestors are damn proud thank you." Bonnie purses her lips and crosses her arms. "How bout you get out, Meredith?"

She stepped further into the cottage. "No. I want in on your plan to take out Klaus."

The group all exchange looks with each other. Damon speaks up, eyeing her coolly. "Why?"

Meredith disregards him, only acknowledging Bonnie. "I have every reason to want that bastard dead as much as you do."

Bonnie stood with her chin jutted out. "I highly doubt that."

Meredith's response was curt. "Try me."

After studying her for a moment Bonnie nods to everyone to leave, but only Elijah, Jeremy and John do so. She should've known Kai wasn't going anywhere without her and Damon deemed himself too important to leave. In their own way they wanted to make sure Bonnie was protected.

Kai sat on a table, his legs swinging back and forth while he ate a bag of onion rings. "Let's say we do let you in on this - what do you get out of it?"

"Revenge for my family." Her dark gray eyes steeled. "When I was younger he attacked my family, compelling my grandfather to kill my grandmother and compelling me to...drink from my brother. Afterwards, he kidnapped my brother and sent pictures to my family every year on our birthday of him growing up 'nice and healthy'. Well as healthy as a vampire can be."

"Hold up, he grew up? As in he's a vampire and still had a normal childhood?" Damon strutted over to her, leaning close. "How is that even possible?" He was doing his weird wide eye thing. It made the hairs on the back of Meredith's neck stand up.

Kai and Bonnie gave each other a knowing look. Despite being whatever they are (Bonnie refuses to acknowledge their relationship) the two of them stayed on the same wavelength. Obviously, a witch helped with that scenario.

Gripping her flute bag tighter, Meredith was sizing Damon up and Bonnie, upon realization, pushed him away from her. "Damon, I know you think the eye thing you do is sexy, but it's just disturbing."

He flashed her a bright smile. "But you enjoy it though, don't you Bon Bon?"

He was too close for her comfort. "Actually, I don't." She sidestepped him. "You're too old and creepy."

"Save for the old part you just described the freak." Damon said smirking and nodding in Kai's direction.

Kai promptly stops eating and Damon hunches over in pain, blood running from his nose and mouth. Ignoring his grunts of pain, Kai turns his attention to Meredith and picks up a mortar with a white powdery mix in it. "Sooo, what exactly are you bringing to the table, Mildred? The Bonster here is more than enough to handle Klaus. Like, even Darren over here isn't even important to this, he's just doing it for the snowflake." With a flick of his wrist Damon's moans of pain stop.

Meredith is at a momentary loss of words from the misnaming. "It's Meredith and I'm a supernatural hunter-slayer, it's my job to kill him." She then crosses her arms. "If Bonnie can handle this all by herself, what's your purpose?"

He leveled Meredith with a gaze while stirring his ingredients. "To make sure Bonnie doesn't die."

"Kai-" Bonnie was flabbergasted. " _Is he doubting me?"_

"I honestly don't care about her friend, but she has a habit of going through extreme lengths to protect the snowflake."

Bonnie's hands were on her hips. "I'll be fine. We're going to save Elena, kill Klaus and everything will be well."

"Yeah, I bet that's what your mother said too."

Both Damon and Meredith's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Without hesitation, Bonnie's eyes narrow and her hand goes across Kai's face hard. "Don't you dare bring her up!" Her hand stings, but she barely feels it due to her mounting anger.

His head snaps to the left sharply from the impact and Kai spits out blood while glaring at Bonnie. "Is it a lie though? Is she not in a coma for the exact same thing you're doing? Sacrificing for a Gilbert?"

"I'm not sacrificing myself for anyone! I'm protecting my town, the place that  _my_  ancestors built!"

"Sure, you're an experienced witch -sorry, I mean Obeah practitioner- but ever since the walking dead brothers came here, you and Sheila have been put through hell. Your throat was almost ripped out by your new buddy over here. Sheila nearly dies opening that tomb and then you faking your death gave her a heart attack right after she recovers."

"You know I didn't mean for that to happen to Grams, but she's my best friend Kai! I can't just let her die. She's already lost so much."

Kai hopped off the table, getting in Bonnie's personal space. "I don't remember you going this hard for your other friend. All Elmo does is whine about her relationships with the undead brothers. She prioritizes them over you! And I'm sure you know better than anyone that you can still lose people even if they're still alive." His nostrils were flared. He couldn't for the life of him understand why Bonnie does so much for that girl.

Bonnie closed her eyes to try and quell her anger. She didn't want to admit it, but Kai was right. Ever since her mother went into her coma, her father went into a severe state of depression. He was practically dead on the inside, only taking antidepressants to continue working and he avoided being home at all costs. Bonnie tried her best to contain her tears, but she was failing miserably. Her family was broken.

"If you're not gonna help then I don't need you here, Kai." Her voice broke. "Just leave."

Noticing her tears gave him a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was used to Bonnie arguing with him until she was blue in the face or hitting him, but not this. Though he didn't process emotions like other "normal" people, there was something about seeing Bonnie cry that always made him feel funny.

_"Shit, I think I went too far."_

He reached out for her. "Bon-"

She cut him off, pushing him away from her. "I don't want to hear it, just go."

He barely moved. "I'm not leaving."

Bonnie's eyes grew cold. "You can't even generate your own magic, you're useless to me, just like you are to your coven." She knew it was a sore subject for him, a low blow, but she didn't care. Eye for an eye.

Snatching the mortar and an empty bottle off the table, Kai stalked towards the door. He looked back at Bonnie, his face impassive. "You better pray you don't end up worse than Abby. It'd be a shame for Sheila to bury her only granddaughter before herself and her child." He left the room with a soft click of the door.

Bonnie's beautiful face contorted in rage and she tossed the grimoire across the room. She ran a hand through her curls, pacing the room.

She groaned in frustration. " _Why does he always have to have a point?"_  She glanced toward the door, then back at the grimoire lying on the floor. " _No I'll manage without him, I won't die."_

Meredith observed Bonnie, perplexed while Damon became increasingly irritated with her. The girl had a nasty habit of forgetting other people were in the room with her when it came to that boy. Damon cleared his throat. "Are we going along with the plan or what? Elena's life is at stake here."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at Damon, wiping her face on her arm. "No one's deviating from the plan, chill out. In fact, how about you make yourself useful, Damon, and go get John so I can perform the spell."

"Yeah, yeah." Damon walked out of the room with a wave of his hand.

Feeling the other girl's piercing gaze, Bonnie tilted her head at her. "You have a problem?"

"No, it's just that your friend resembles my brother Cristian. At least how he looks in the pictures." Meredith glanced down. "I have no doubt he'll be there too."

Bonnie didn't want to, but she had to ask. "If it comes to it, do you think you can kill him?"

"I have no choice. He's sired to and was raised by Klaus. Duties aside, I'm sure Klaus had no problem poisoning his mind against us. It's not like my parents went looking for him." Meredith stuffed her hands into her jean pockets, head bowed in shame.

For the first time since she met her Bonnie finally sees a vulnerable side to Meredith Sulez. "That's good enough for me."

Everyone comes back into the room with Damon and Bonnie performs the spell on John and Damon. She noticed Kai didn't come with them and she feels an odd pang in her chest at his absence. Focusing on the situation at hand she casts another spell, putting Jeremy to sleep and leaves him with John.

* * *

Arriving on the ritual site, Bonnie was angered not by just the unnecessary sacrifices done here, but by the fact that her family's hometown, the settlement that they built, was being desecrated yet again. Greta and an olive skinned guy around their age, who Bonnie assumed was Meredith's brother Cristian, stood over Elena's body. Stefan laid immobilized by a stake in his back.

Hiding at another vantage point with Meredith, Damon didn't notice Kai until he revealed himself. "I hate when you do that." He looked him up and down. "I thought you were with Sheila or something."

"I only went outside." Kai had shown up after all with a grimace on his face. He only went to stand outside the cottage to cool off, getting harassed by Bennett spirits wasn't a part of the plan.

Meredith peered back at the two with an elegantly arched brow before returning to watching her brother.

Damon just smirked. He knew Kai would come, the boy's reaction to Bonnie's 'death' proved that. His smirk turned to a frown at the memory, Kai's slender body deceived his strength. It took Stefan pulling Kai off of him before Damon got in anything word wise. Being siphoned was not something he planned on dealing with ever again.

"Hey Muriel, get over here so I can cloak you."

She glared at Kai, her voice laced with venom. "It's Meredith, not Mildred and definitely not Muriel."

Kai gave a noncommittal shrug.

Damon then touched her shoulder. "Give it up Merry, if your name isn't Bonnie he's not going to consider it worth remembering."

She smacked his hand away while stepping closer to Kai for the spell. "Let's get something straight here vampire. One, don't ever touch me again without permission. And two, nicknames are for friends and family. You're not either of those, so don't do it."

Damon didn't like the look in her eyes and made sure to put distance between himself and Meredith quickly. "Duly noted."

Kai muttered out an invisique spell cloaking the three of them. Dropping her flute bag to the ground, Meredith finally revealed what was in it. She whipped out a wicked double-bladed three section staff. Kai noted several sigils covered her arms, tattooed and activated by Bonnie. Kai pulled out a bottle of what seemed to be iced tea and downed it in three gulps.

Damon side-eyed Kai. "What was that?"

Kai just shrugged. "A power booster of sorts." He gave Damon a sly grin. "Nothing you need to worry about old man, just stick to your part of the plan."

"Right." Now that Damon was paying attention Kai had that same bottle with him at the cottage earlier but it was empty.

Staring at her twin brother sent a chill up her spine. " _He's really here. He looks cold and distant, nothing like his pictures."_  Meredith shook her head and steeled herself. Too much was on the line here for her to get caught up in sentimentality. If he got in the way she was determined to take him out.

Damon piped up. "I'm going to get Stefan and Elena. Make sure you two watch my back." He was rewarded with a grunt from Meredith and an eh from Kai. The three of them got into position waiting for Bonnie's signal.

Bonnie remained hidden as she watched Klaus become a hybrid. Satisfied that everyone was ready, she began chanting and sent him flying across the area. Thunder and lightning struck as Bonnie prowled along the path, hands out with her palms facing upward, chanting in Igbo and lighting fires in her wake.

Kai was mesmerized. With the power of her dead ancestors, Bonnie commanded nature itself. Despite their earlier argument he wasn't going to abandon her on the plan, the idea of that alone left another weird feeling in his chest. Drinking that concoction gave Kai the means to literally control Greta. He didn't care about the fact he was using dark magic, not if it meant Bonnie wouldn't die again.

The fires caught Greta and Cristian off guard as well as the girl who was supposed to be no longer of this mortal plane. Cristian jumped back from the flames while Greta was momentarily stunned. Damon used their confusion to his advantage and grabbed Elena right from under their noses. Greta, realizing the body has been moved, aims to correct her mistake by hitting Damon with a motus but instead hits an unsuspecting Cristian. She looks at her hand dumbfounded. Cristian is sent flying toward the trees, but manages to grab a branch, swing around and land in a three point pose.

" _My turn."_  Meredith steadies her breathing and moves forward with a silent grace, intent on incapacitating him. A mantra is going off in her head. " _Focus, he's your only concern now."_  She unlinks the staff swinging it around into an upward arc, it nearly cleaves his head off, but he dodges at the last minute. He stands and goes into a Taekwondo kicking stance.

" _Seems Klaus taught him our fighting techniques too."_ Meredith slumps her shoulders in defeat and prepares to face her twin.

* * *

Klaus' screams filled the air as Bonnie prowls toward him as he tries to crawl away. The moment she laid eyes on him, it stopped being about saving her friend. The fires raged hotter as thoughts of her comatose mother drifted into her mind, her sacrifice in vain.

"N-no, you were dead!" Blood trickles from his lips.

Ignoring him Bonnie makes a claw gesture with her hands, causing Klaus to writhe on the ground, pushing him closer and closer to the flames. She flicks her wrist snapping his right arm in three different places. His shrieks of pain only fuels her further. The wind howls around them as she rips him apart from the inside.

* * *

Carrying Elena's body over to Stefan, Damon lays her down gently beside him and snatches the stake out of his brother.

"D-Damon you came." Stefan struggled to get up, sounding genuinely surprised to see him. Looking down at Elena, he placed a hand on her still warm cheek. " _This is my fault, I should've tried harder."_

Damon said nothing, but his eyes expressed everything. Despite his bitterness and jealousy toward his little brother, he wasn't going to let him be killed or taken away by Klaus. The only person allowed to do that was him.

Stefan grabbed Damon by his leather jacket bringing him to his eye level. "Get her out of here."

"Yeah, I already had that in mind, little brother." Damon remaining as guarded as ever, gripped Stefan by his jacket in an attempt to pull him up. "Move it."

He pushed him off. "No, I'm staying. I'm not leaving until I see the light fade from Klaus' eyes."

"Fine."

Damon picked Elena's body up and walked off, he stopped to give one last look at his brother. They locked gazes conveying their thoughts to each other.

" _Keep her safe."_

" _Don't die."_

With a final nod, Stefan stumbled off to join the battle.

* * *

Kai realizes that Greta's no slouch while continuously parrying her attacks. He met the Martins once at the Spring Equinox Gala in Kosice. They were a powerful family but so was his, even if he thought majority of them weren't shit.

"I won't let you stop Klaus!" Unfortunately her love for Klaus was making her reckless and sloppy.

What should've been a difficult spell to block was easily  _dodged_  by Kai. " _What's with these girls and their disturbing devotion to these vampires?"_ Kai wondered to himself. For shits and giggles he made her punch herself in the face. A broken finger here, a fractured toe or two there.

"Watch out!"

He heard Meredith's voice but Kai barely has time to defend himself from Cristian's onslaught of punches and kicks. He saw Meredith as a blur in his peripheral, rapidly closing in. Pushing Cristian off of him Kai instantly erected a barrier against Greta's incoming attacks.

Using Cristian's attacking of Kai as a distraction Meredith mounts his shoulders and drops him with a Frankensteiner. Instead of immediately getting up Cristian laid stun for a moment. Meredith landed with a combat roll, grabbing her staff and gracefully rising to her feet, poised to take out her brother at any moment.

"Get up idiot!" Greta yelled at Cristian while flinging spells left and right. "We have a job to complete!"

"Piss off, witch! I know what needs to be done!" He sprung to his feet and charged at Meredith.

" _I feel like nothing can stop me right now,"_  Meredith relinked her staff, glancing over at Bonnie on the battlefield. " _I never meet someone as powerful as she is."_  The sigils on her arms glowed. Stepping forward felt like she was doing something out of a movie. Her brother's fast but she's faster. Every blow he attempted to land is parried with little effort. Realizing she wasn't even going to need her staff, she threw it to the side. " _I just have to incapacitate him."_  Grabbing his arm, she yanked him to her smashing his nose with the heel of her palm. Twisting his arm to the point it snapped, she then gripped his face and using every ounce of strength, slammed him to the ground.

Before he got up Meredith swiftly grabbed her staff and cut his left leg off from the knee. Cristian screamed and grabbed on to his leg with his good hand. Meredith then proceeded to slice off his other leg.

Realizing they were getting to the final section of the plan, Kai decided to use the method Jonas used on Bonnie. Deflecting two more of her attacks Kai freezes her in place with a prohibere spell. Grabbing her outstretched hand he siphoned just enough magic from her to render her helpless. Placing his hand over her heart Kai chanted the spell that would permanently take her powers away.

Kai released her from the spell. "What did you do to me?!" She stumbled backward, panting. "My magic-"

"Has been taken away." Kai said gleefully. "Now you're just an ordinary girl with bad taste in men." Kai quickly glanced over at Cristian. "Just sit tight with your buddy here." With a wave of his hand Greta was forced to sit with Cristian, as Kai and Meredith ran to where Bonnie stood on the battlefield.

* * *

Bonnie watches as Klaus digs his nails in the dirt to try to right himself. She flicks her wrist again and he soars through the air, landing with a sickening crunch on his back. Elijah strides past Bonnie and up to his brother. Kai, Stefan and Meredith run up a few moments later.

"Elijah…" His breath comes out as shallow.

"Hello, brother." Elijah gets down on one knee and plunges his hand into Klaus' chest.

He lets out a howl of pain, but Bonnie can't focus on that, the spirits are talking to her all at once.

" _Don't trust him,"_  one voice says.

" _Maybe he will follow through. He did promise,"_  says another.

" _You can never trust the word of a vampire."_  That was Emily's voice. " _Go with your gut instinct Bonnie."_

" _We'll wait and see."_  Bonnie's eyes zero back in on the two Originals in deep conversation.

"I can take you to them. I give my word, brother."

Elijah looks over at the group standing before him. Bonnie's magic is sparking at her fingertips. "Attempt to leave with him and I'll kill you both."

Elijah's brows furrow. "But you'll die."

"Not while I'm here, she's not." Kai stepped up beside Bonnie.

Bonnie felt something swell in her chest at Kai's words, at his presence. Always having him at her side was comforting, albeit irksome.

"Oh trust me, I won't."

Elijah studies Bonnie for a moment before looking back at Klaus. He was obviously conflicted toward the situation.

Klaus coughs up more blood. "P-please, brother…"

Elijah looks at the group once more, releasing his grip by a fraction.

Stefan spoke up. "Elijah, don't do this."

Meredith's eyes narrow. "He's going to break his end of the deal."

Kai whispered in Bonnie's ear. "Do it, take them both out."

Elijah and Bonnie locked eyes. "I'm sorry, I need to see my brother and sister." He grabbed his brother and jumped off.

That gave Bonnie and the spirits all the incentive they needed. "I'm not." Bonnie's eyes glowed and she raised her hands again. She pulled them back to the field, immobilized Klaus and sent Elijah flying beyond the flames.

Bonnie began chanting again, the winds and fire raging in all directions as hundreds of spirits descended into the area. Elijah could be heard yelling for Bonnie to stop, but she silenced him with a Ura spell. Emily landed in front of Bonnie giving her a nod of approval as the ghosts spread their hands out over Klaus' body.

"No! Don't!" He tried to plead with Bonnie. "If you do this, you'll be killing hundreds of others!"

Emily stood over Klaus. "Don't worry, the spirits will sever your links to all the vampires you sired."

"That's impossible!" He sounded scared.

Bonnie leaned down placing her hand on Klaus' head, a smug look on her face. "It's not when you're a powerful Obeah practitioner who has the power of her ancestors backing her." She closed her eyes, muttering the spell and felt every last vampire he ever sired being unlinked from him.

Kai saw Emily eyeing him. "What?"

"She's about to perform the spell necessary to remove his spirit from his body. You know what must be done."

"I know." He strode over to where she sat crouched beside Klaus, placing a hand on her shoulder. Having trained with his aunt and Sheila, he has better control over his siphoning abilities. That and it made him to able to touch Bonnie without her flinching from him.

Klaus grabbed Bonnie's arm in desperation. "P-please…You're better than this."

"Don't try to appeal to my humanity, my empathy. You've killed hundreds, maybe even thousands of people and sired others! What right do you have to plead for your life? What makes your life that much more important?"

She slammed her palm down on his chest and started chanting again. His screams grew frantic as she raised her hand and his soul along with it. As soon as it was high enough, the spirits pulled at it from all different directions. The gang watched mystified as Klaus' soul was ripped to shreds, leaving behind only a husk.

Stefan stared after the ghosts as they floated away, mumbling to himself. "He's finally gone. Elena's safe now."

* * *

Kai feeling Bonnie's body begin to shake, started siphoning the excess magic from her. She stumbled backwards collapsing into his arms, tired but still awake. Her big green eyes met Kai's blue-gray ones.

"You showed up, thank you…"

"I never left." He clutched her tighter. "By the way, pretty awesome job you did there Bonster, you've now earned the title of plucky."

"Only awesome and plucky?"

"Yup," He popped the p. "Though I do think magically killing yourself without telling anyone but  _Damon_  of all people kind of lessens it."

Raising her elbow with as much strength as she could muster, she elbowed him in the gut.

"Oof." Kai's breath came out in a wheeze.

Bonnie straightened herself up, adjusting her boho top and jacket and facing away from him. "You know why I couldn't tell you, Kai. You would've tried to stop me."

He grabbed her arm, turning her to look at him. "Of course I would've. You can't leave me, you're the only person I tolerate besides Jo and Sheila and Aunt Rachel."

Staring into his eyes, Bonnie's entire face heats up. Kai pretty much just told her that he likes her. "I hate you."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You always say that and then I'll cook you something and you'll say you love me."

She pushes away from him. "It's the food Kai, it has always been the food."

Kai took on a mock offended expression, hand on his chest and everything. "You wound me, Bonster. I feel so betrayed."

"You needed to know the truth. It's better this way."

Her orbs dart down to his black 30 Seconds to Mars shirt, her hands playing with the hem. All traces of playful banter gone from her voice. "I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have said that."

Kai smirked, "Ah, she finally realizes her mistake."

She punches him in the stomach. "Stop being an ass."

"Oww. I'll stop when you stop with the hitting." His face became serious and he gently pushed her hand down from attempting to hit him again. "I'm sorry too."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Okay," she stepped back a little. "Who's the poor soul that got sacrificed for that apology?"

"Now who's an ass?"

"Kai, you don't apologize to anyone. It usually has to be forced out of you."

Kai just shrugged his shoulders. "True."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, we'll talk later."

Meredith walked past the pair and looked down at the empty shell. Pulling out her blade made of white ash oak, she swung downward, hacking the head clean from it's body. Both Bonnie and Kai jumped at the sudden noise. Meredith just smirked. "Gotta take this home as proof that the threat is over."

Stefan looked over at the two bodies that lay/sat pitifully on the ground not even two yards away from them. "What about them?"

"I'll take him home," Meredith said solemnly. She then looked to Bonnie. "What are you doing with her?"

Bonnie could feel that she would not be a threat, not anymore. "She's the last surviving Martin and no longer has her powers. It's up to her."

Kai's magical hold over her been let up but Greta sat there with a morose expression on her face. Cristian slammed his fist on the ground, his glare menacing, voice hoarse. "I refuse to go  _anywhere_  with you! Your parents didn't bother looking for me before, so why start now?"

She stormed up to him. "Because I want my brother back!  _Our_  parents may have given up on finding you, but I didn't!" She fell to her knees in front of him as he struggled to a sitting position. "I searched everywhere for you, Cristian!" Her eyes softened, as well as her voice. "As soon as I found out about you I used every resource I had access to look for you."

His voice was bleak. "What does it matter anyway? I'm some kind of freakish vampire that can still grow up." He looked down at his hands. "I've killed innocent people."

She clutched his hands in hers. "You were sired to him, it gave you the illusion of having free will."

"But I-"

"No buts. It'll take time, but you'll adjust." She gave him a dazzling smile. "I'll help you." Meredith then looked over at Bonnie. "Thank you."

Bonnie blushed, waving the girl off. "It was nothing."

Cristian turned his head. "Eso fue nada pero."

Meredith nodded in agreement. "Ella era asombrosa."

Bonnie's blush worsened. "Para, por favor."

Meredith's eyes widened. "Hablas espanol?"

She nodded. "Si! Mi abuela me enseñó. Ella vivió en Nicaragua durante 10 años."

Both girls smiled at each other, with Klaus gone the girls could be normal teens again. Or at least as normal as can be being supernatural and all.

Meredith looked down embarrassed. "After everything settles at home, do you want to hang out sometime?"

"I would love to!"

Kai gasped overdramatically. "She can be nice? I didn't think it was possible!"

Cristian tapped Meredith's leg before she could respond. "It's great that you made a new friend and all, but thanks to you I can't walk." He gestured to his missing legs.

Kai whistled, "Damn, you weren't playing around. That explains what he was screaming for."

Everyone else save for Stefan and Meredith flinched at the inflicted wounds.

Her face was beet red now looking at her twin. "Sorry Cris, I was aiming to incapacitate you."

Cristian's only response was to dramatically collapse to the ground.

Stefan scratched the back of his head. "I'll go look for them." He gave Cristian a tight lipped smile and ran off.

Kai watched Stefan go. "Wow I think this is the most he did the entire time."

"He was immobilized for most of it." Bonnie said, interested in seeing a vampire reattaching their limbs.

"My point still stands."

When he got back Stefan gave Kai a look as if to say I heard that. The siphon gave a shrug in response. Cristian sat upright as soon as he returned with his legs. Stefan reattached them and waited for the healing process to begin.

Greta stood, dusting her pants off. "I'm gonna go. I need to contact my relatives." Her voice sounded distant, hollow.

Bonnie walked over to her. "Are you going to be okay?"

"You have some nerv-nevermind, I brought this on myself, I'll manage somehow." Greta began to limp off.

"Greta!" Cristian was holding on to Meredith for balance. "Wait!"

She stopped and turned back to him. "What do you want?"

"I'll come with you."

"Thanks for the offer but no. Like I said, I'll manage."

Meredith put her hand on his and shook her head at him, Cristian visibly deflated. Stefan mouthed at Bonnie that he'll follow her at a distance for her safety. She mouthed a thank you. With a nod of his head he quietly left the area.

Bonnie put her hands in her back pockets. "I think she'll be okay," she glanced down at Cristian. "Call it a gut feeling."

An odd silence begins to surround the teens. Kai takes advantage and flings his arm around Bonnie's shoulders. "So it's getting rather cold out here and then there's school tomorrow."

She immediately flung his arm off, her glare speaking volumes. "When did you ever care about school?"

"I prefer not to face Sheila's wrath, if you catch my drift."

Bonnie became stiff at those words. "I actually forgot about her! Yeah, lets get out of here."

"Yes let's do that." Meredith started to rise along with her brother. "I think his leg has healed enough and to be honest, Kai's right, it is getting cold out here."

Together the battle-worn teens head back to the Bennett cottage to collect John and Jeremy and then their collective homes.

Two weeks later~

It was Elena's turn to carpool everyone this week. Noting Bonnie coming to the jeep alone she quirked an eyebrow at her friend.

"No shadow today?"

Entering the jeep Bonnie rolled her eyes. "No," she turned to Caroline, "Hey."

Caroline murmured a hey back, busy texting on her phone, to Tyler more than likely.

"He's with his aunt in Portland for some family thing. He'll be back tomorrow." If Bonnie and Caroline had to put up with Damon always hanging around and all that entailed, Elena could deal with Kai.

Arriving at school, Bonnie and her friends exited Elena's jeep and were nearly run down by a motorcycle. Caroline dropped her phone in shock while Bonnie clung to the car door. The riders waved at them and then parked the bike a few spaces over from them.

Before Bonnie could react Caroline's storming over to the riders as they're getting off the bike.

"Hey assholes, you could've hit us!"

The driver muttered something under the helmet. Bonnie recognized Meredith as the person on the back making the driver Cristian.

Bonnie and Elena caught up and grabbed Caroline's arms. "Care-"

Unfortunately the girl ignored them. "You want to repeat that?"

Taking off the helmet, Cristian gave Caroline an unimpressed once over. "I said, it's too early for this. Your voice is grating on my ears." His gaze then locked on to Bonnie, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Morning Bonnie."

Letting go of Caroline Bonnie put her hands on her hips. "Don't morning Bonnie me, you nearly hit us."

He glanced away, "Sorry."

Caroline was offended. "Excuse you?! I'm still standing here! What about my apology?!"

Meredith smacked him upside his head. "Apologize."

Cristian glanced back at Meredith then to Bonnie before looking back at Caroline. "My bad." He handed Meredith his helmet and snatched his keys out of the ignition. "I'll see you in the school." He looked back at Bonnie. "See you later."

She just squinted her eyes and tilted her quizzically at him. Elena eyed her friend suspiciously, ever since she killed Klaus she had been spending a lot of time with the slayer and her twin.

Caroline turned her glare to Meredith. "What is his problem?!"

Meredith mumbled under her breath about how Cristian was right. "Sorry about that, my brother has terrible people skills. He wanted to scare Bonnie." She was putting the helmets in a compartment on the bike.

All three girls looked at Bonnie. "Me? Why?"

Meredith gave her a look that said you know why. Bonnie's face reddened muttering a soft oh, Cristian must've took a liking to her sometime after the battle. Probably when she started coming over with whatever classwork Meredith missed.

The entire motorcycle situation was dropped in favor of teasing Bonnie about being in a possible love triangle.

The four girls started walking toward the school. Meredith had her hands shoved in the pockets of her jean shorts. "Are you going to be free this summer, Bonnie?"

"After June I will be."

"Cool, it lines up perfectly! My parents are going to Lagos for a business trip in July and I was wondering if you three wanted to come?" She couldn't just not invite Bonnie's friends, it would be rude.

Bonnie raised her hand. "I'm in." She loved visiting Portugal in the summertime, it was a second home to her at this point.

Elena looked skeptical. "On a business trip? That doesn't sound like much fun."

Meredith waved a dismissive hand. "No, we'll be staying at the family villa in the meantime."

Caroline perked up. "Oh, how many bedrooms?"

"8. There's also a tennis court, pool, and basketball court." At their odd looks she added, "We have a large family and being hunters, we have to keep in shape." She studied Caroline for a bit. "By the way we're not far from the beach either, absolutely breathtaking view. What better way to spend the summer?" She looked back and forth between the two girls, waiting for an answer.

Caroline raised her hand as well, it's just down to Elena now. "What if I want to bring my boyfriend?"

Both Bonnie and Caroline facepalmed.

"Sure if you want, but he's going to be the only other guy there, not counting my father and brother of course.

Bonnie nudged Elena. "Lena when was the last time we had just girl time? Or went out of the country?"

Caroline was nodding in agreement. Elena looked sheepish, "It has been a while."

Bonnie crossed her arms, "We're in, Meredith."

The usually aloof girl looked relieved to hear those words. Bonnie halted Elena's protests with a look as she and Caroline dragged her into the school. For the first time since junior year began, Bonnie was happily looking forward to doing something fun without having to look over her shoulder in fear.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far in this fic I wholeheartedly thank you for reading! Please leave a comment or review! FYI for Meredith's outfit inspiration I mixed Clary's (Shadowhunters) season 2 episode 3 outfit with Maia's (also Shadowhunters) season 2 episode 19 jacket but in black.


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